Greg Jefferson:Cisneros clan backs Noriega

Henry and Mary Alice Ciscernos — former mayor and current Distrct 12 council member, respectively — are throwing their weight behind state Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston in the contest to decide which Democrat will challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn next year.

The couple are among the party’s local glitterati planning to attend Noriega’s noon-time fundraiser at La Margarita Restaurant on Friday.

Supporting Noriega means not supporting Mikal Watts, a wealthy trial lawyer who settled in San Antonio a year ago, in next March’s Democartic primary. Some of the Democratic officeholders on Noriega’s list — including state Reps. Joaquin Castro, Trey Martinez Fischer and Mike Villarreal, and state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte — may have committed to attend the event with a small catch in their voices. Watts, after all, is a major Democratic fundraiser who, when he lived in Corpus Christi, freely pumped money into legislative and judicial races.